Introducing More Sustainable Initiatives in Public Restrooms
Every day, we Americans flush a total of 4.8 billion gallons of water down the drain to eliminate our waste. This water, in sharp contrast to facilities in many other countries, is usually a hundred percent potable and has gone through the painstaking procedures of filtration, sanitization, and in many cases fluoridation. All of these steps require a tremendous amount of energy simply to bring water to our households that will not be consumed and instead will be used to bathe in and carry away our waste. A complete revamping of existing plumbing and infrastructure is not feasible at least within the typical American household as most of the mainframe is already in place. However, there are changes that can be implemented in existing facilities, primarily government funded rest areas.
In the current economic crisis, with budgets being slashed left and right so as to ensure the continuance of only essential services. The implementation of non-flush urinals would be a simple, cost effective measure that would also be far more sustainable from an environmental perspective. Statistically speaking, public restrooms consume tremendous amounts of water, again water that is perfectly safe for consumption and could most likely be used more effectively for other causes. According to research conducted by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, an average public restroom with approximately 8 flush toilets with moderate use uses approximately 500,000 gallons of water per month. This number is astronomical and doesn’t take into account higher traffic restrooms as well as restrooms with inefficient models. There are other options available that are far more sustainable and cost saving. To put the issue further into perspective, there are nearly 8 million flush urinals in use within the United States, modestly assuming 2 gallons per flush; per year nearly 160 billion gallons of water are squandered.
An organization by the name of Waterless is a relatively new company specializing in flush-less urinals. These innovative devices simply use gravity to channel waste into sewage systems completely devoid of any sort of water waste incurred by flushing. The use of their patented Ecotrap pads addresses the most common concern of switching to flush-less systems, the unpleasant odor. Ecotrap cartridges use Blueseal technology to trap any unpleasant odors and are composed of fully biodegradable components. Use of this technology saves an average of 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water every year. The implementation of these devices would be incredibly difficult within the typical American household for a variety of reasons primarily, most typical home bathrooms do not have urinals and secondly an infrastructure is already in place that would be difficult to change. Implementation in government facilities however, would not only be an incredible cost saving measure, but could also be easily incorporated into existing facilities.
An analysis of the upkeep of rest area facilities and the costs associated with it are rather staggering as well. According to a report by the Georgia State Department of Transportation, utility costs alone of rest areas range from $60,000 to $90,000 a year. This does not even take into account other maintenance costs often associated with problems with flush urinals such as valve and pipe repairs. On average, upkeep of rest areas can range upwards from $150,000 to $260,000 a year per facility. The switch from flush to flush-less urinals would put a significant dent in the utility and maintenance costs of facilities while saving billions of gallons of water. The switch could also inspire other agencies within the government to make the switch and could serve as a model for other states as well towards more sustainable practices.
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
The source was published by the Georgia Department of Tranportation which is the authority in rest areas maintenance and upkeep statistics.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The report details the specific costs associated with upkeep and maintenance of various government-run rest areas. Statistics include utility costs along with maintenance costs.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
The information is presented in an easy to read table highlighting the specific costs associated with each rest area.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
No quotes presented, purely statistics.
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
My research focus is to show the extra costs associated with using flush toilets in facilities. The evidence supports the fact that installation of flush-less urinals would not only be immensely cost saving, but could potentially save billions of gallons of water.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
Stats: Range of utility costs from $60,000 to $90,000 a year.
Stats: Range of overall costs from $150,000 to $260,000 a year
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
The source is a company by the name of Waterless. It has been around since 1991 and specialized in the sale and manufacture of flush-less urinals.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The overall argument of the site is to state the benefits of using flush-less urinals both financially and from a sustainability standpoint.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
The information is presented effectively throughout the site. Detailed diagrams accurately show how the device works while pictures of available products give a realistic view of how the product physically looks. Water consumption stats of traditional urinals are also stated throughout.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“The conservation of water has become a requirement for many facilities, cities, states and the federal government.”
“This need is driven by three main reasons: the availability of water, current sewer capacity and rising costs or budget cuts.”
“The patented vertical EcoTrap® design provides superior efficiencies to other, more complicated trap arrangements. It does not need to be cleaned out as it is simply changed out”
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
My research focus is to show the extra costs associated with using flush toilets in facilities. The evidence supports the fact that installation of flush-less urinals would not only be immensely cost saving, but could potentially save billions of gallons of water.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
Assuming an average 2 gallon flush, the potable water use of urinals alone, in this country per year, is approximately 160 billion gallons!
A Waterless urinal saves on average 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water a year.
Introducing More Sustainable Initiatives in Public Restrooms
Every day, we Americans flush a total of 4.8 billion gallons of water down the drain to eliminate our waste. This water, in sharp contrast to facilities in many other countries, is usually a hundred percent potable and has gone through the painstaking procedures of filtration, sanitization, and in many cases fluoridation. All of these steps require a tremendous amount of energy simply to bring water to our households that will not be consumed and instead will be used to bathe in and carry away our waste. A complete revamping of existing plumbing and infrastructure is not feasible at least within the typical American household as most of the mainframe is already in place. However, there are changes that can be implemented in existing facilities, primarily government funded rest areas.
In the current economic crisis, with budgets being slashed left and right so as to ensure the continuance of only essential services. The implementation of non-flush urinals would be a simple, cost effective measure that would also be far more sustainable from an environmental perspective. Statistically speaking, public restrooms consume tremendous amounts of water, again water that is perfectly safe for consumption and could most likely be used more effectively for other causes. According to research conducted by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, an average public restroom with approximately 8 flush toilets with moderate use uses approximately 500,000 gallons of water per month. This number is astronomical and doesn’t take into account higher traffic restrooms as well as restrooms with inefficient models. There are other options available that are far more sustainable and cost saving. To put the issue further into perspective, there are nearly 8 million flush urinals in use within the United States, modestly assuming 2 gallons per flush; per year nearly 160 billion gallons of water are squandered.
An organization by the name of Waterless is a relatively new company specializing in flush-less urinals. These innovative devices simply use gravity to channel waste into sewage systems completely devoid of any sort of water waste incurred by flushing. The use of their patented Ecotrap pads addresses the most common concern of switching to flush-less systems, the unpleasant odor. Ecotrap cartridges use Blueseal technology to trap any unpleasant odors and are composed of fully biodegradable components. Use of this technology saves an average of 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water every year. The implementation of these devices would be incredibly difficult within the typical American household for a variety of reasons primarily, most typical home bathrooms do not have urinals and secondly an infrastructure is already in place that would be difficult to change. Implementation in government facilities however, would not only be an incredible cost saving measure, but could also be easily incorporated into existing facilities.
An analysis of the upkeep of rest area facilities and the costs associated with it are rather staggering as well. According to a report by the Georgia State Department of Transportation, utility costs alone of rest areas range from $60,000 to $90,000 a year. This does not even take into account other maintenance costs often associated with problems with flush urinals such as valve and pipe repairs. On average, upkeep of rest areas can range upwards from $150,000 to $260,000 a year per facility. The switch from flush to flush-less urinals would put a significant dent in the utility and maintenance costs of facilities while saving billions of gallons of water. The switch could also inspire other agencies within the government to make the switch and could serve as a model for other states as well towards more sustainable practices.
Bibliography:
"Georgia Safety Rest Areas Average Maintenance and Operation Costs." Georgia Department of Transportation. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://www.dot.state.ga.us/informationcenter/p3/projects/restareas/Documents/RA-WC-LocationandCostInfo.pdf>.
"How to Convert Any Toilet to a Low Flush Toilet - WikiHow." WikiHow - The How-to Manual That You Can Edit. Wikipedia, 1 June 2011. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Any-Toilet-to-a-Low-Flush-Toilet>.
"Re: How Much an Average Size Public Restroom Uses in Gallons Per Month?" Web log comment. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://hawaiideptland.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/hawaiideptland.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=501&p_created=1060495962>.
Waterless - Home. Waterless Co., 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.waterless.com/>.
Source Annotation:
"Georgia Safety Rest Areas Average Maintenance and Operation Costs." Georgia Department of Transportation. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://www.dot.state.ga.us/informationcenter/p3/projects/restareas/Documents/RA-WC-LocationandCostInfo.pdf>.
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
The source was published by the Georgia Department of Tranportation which is the authority in rest areas maintenance and upkeep statistics.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The report details the specific costs associated with upkeep and maintenance of various government-run rest areas. Statistics include utility costs along with maintenance costs.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
The information is presented in an easy to read table highlighting the specific costs associated with each rest area.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
No quotes presented, purely statistics.
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
My research focus is to show the extra costs associated with using flush toilets in facilities. The evidence supports the fact that installation of flush-less urinals would not only be immensely cost saving, but could potentially save billions of gallons of water.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
Stats: Range of utility costs from $60,000 to $90,000 a year.
Stats: Range of overall costs from $150,000 to $260,000 a year
Source Annotation:
Waterless - Home. Waterless Co., 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.waterless.com/>.
2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
The source is a company by the name of Waterless. It has been around since 1991 and specialized in the sale and manufacture of flush-less urinals.
3. What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The overall argument of the site is to state the benefits of using flush-less urinals both financially and from a sustainability standpoint.
4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
The information is presented effectively throughout the site. Detailed diagrams accurately show how the device works while pictures of available products give a realistic view of how the product physically looks. Water consumption stats of traditional urinals are also stated throughout.
5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“The conservation of water has become a requirement for many facilities, cities, states and the federal government.”
“This need is driven by three main reasons: the availability of water, current sewer capacity and rising costs or budget cuts.”
“The patented vertical EcoTrap® design provides superior efficiencies to other, more complicated trap arrangements. It does not need to be cleaned out as it is simply changed out”
6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
My research focus is to show the extra costs associated with using flush toilets in facilities. The evidence supports the fact that installation of flush-less urinals would not only be immensely cost saving, but could potentially save billions of gallons of water.
7. List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
Assuming an average 2 gallon flush, the potable water use of urinals alone, in this country per year, is approximately 160 billion gallons!
A Waterless urinal saves on average 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water a year.
Photo sources:
Water Background:
http://www.jimsplumbing.com.au/images%5Cbackground.jpg
Cat and Toilet:
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/images/cat_toilet.jpg
Rest Area:
http://manheimheavytruckauctions.com/Portals/70981/images//rest-area-sign.jpg
Public Restroom:
http://blog.toiletpaperworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/public-restrooms.jpg
Flush-less Urinal Diagram
http://greenopolis.com/files/images/passing_water_clip_image004.jpg
Flush-less Urinal Picture:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Waterless_urinal_(Armitage_Shanks,_UK).jpg